The stick was almost Archibald's height, "I've never faced someone who used a staff before…" Oh yeah, that's what it's called, Pandres looked worried because of her inexperience.

  Even though I've only had one encounter with a staff user and to be honest, they weren't that good with it, "It should be fine, you stay back and wait for the perfect chance." After reassuring her, I began to approach with Archibald by my side.

  Archibald went ahead and swung his sword which was perfectly redirected using the smooth staff, "Big guys like you are easy to work!" He stepped back and poked Archibald's eyes with the dull staff.

  The temporarily blinded Archibald swung his giant sword and got blocked by again, 'What is that thing made out of?!' He pushed Archibald back knocking him off balance and went for the kill with a dagger.

  "Not on my watch!" I had to intervene and stop him. But he just used the staff to knock me into the air.

  He hit me right in the chest, knocking the air out of me. I looked at my hands and got to my knees, 'Maybe I should rest a bit… You better not lose, Archibald-" I couldn't even finish my thought as another swing came at my head.

  'Crazy bastard! Why come for me?!' I blocked it with my left forearm and it felt as if my bones had gotten smashed.

  But I managed to grab a part of the staff, "you'll pay for that." I pulled him closer but the staff felt lighter?

  I looked at the other end and he was gone, "To your right!" I looked and saw the dagger was already going into my side.

  "Got ya." He had a big smirk as he dug the dagger deeper, "No, I got you." I grabbed his hand.

  "Let go!" He tried to pull away but I put all my strength into my grip, "You're staying here."

  He jumped to his staff which was on the ground, "No, you don't!" A sudden red flash came in between us.

  Her blade pierced right through the target, I thought it was the end and I expected him to be cut in half but I immediately realized he moved just slightly. That slight movement was perfect to escape a fatal blow.

  He stood there and grabbed at his side which had a chunk missing, then a big shadow loomed over us.

  He noticed it too, it was Archibald, his sword came down at him. But something else caught my attention at that moment.

  'Wait? Hold on… wait shit! I should've let go!' He pulled me into the path of the sword forcing Archibald to stop and giving him a chance to kick me away breaking my hold.

  He grabbed his staff and started to move away, "He got away but it's fine, " Pandres came to my side, "I got him good." She checked the dagger which was still stuck in my side.

  "Don't pull it out, you'll just end up bleeding out." I knew that… but there was something more important at hand.

  He was hurt, but he managed to pull away and get his staff, "Would you mind taking over for a bit?" I looked at the two and they nodded right away.

  They went and started approaching him, but I had something more important to do.

  "Elliot!" The idiot who was sweating profusely looked at me as I approached.

  "W-What?" I glanced at Angel who was watching the fight.

  "I need you to do me a favor…" I looked back at the tree line.

  "I'm not fighting!" He immediately answered.

  "Oh shut up. I want you to take Angel and run into the forest, Also make sure to get his attention." I snapped my fingers to get Angel's attention.

  "Why?! If he chases me, I'm dead!" I sighed and kept making sure that what was happening was real.

  "If you stay here, you die. If you run, you live." Confusion set on his face.

  "And Klaus told me to tell you." He looked back at me with confusion and then calmed down.

  "I see, then we'll be on our way." So easily tricked. He tugged at Angel's hand.

  She looked up, "Didn't you promise you'll never lose? So why should we run?"

  'Me and my stupid promises.' I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "That's the reason I need you to leave." I lifted my left arm and looked at its state of it. 'Looked pretty bad.'

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  "I'm a man of my word. Now, go. You're just a part of my big plan." The kid wasn't an idiot, she knew when she would be a burden. I could tell she wanted to remind me not to lose.

  Archibald was getting pushed back and Pandres couldn't get an opening, "Go now." Elliot went to leave without her.

  "You really are an Idiot, Carry her and make sure it's obvious." He gulped and slowly took her into his arms, she reluctantly let him.

  And with a nod between me and Angel, he ran, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Please don't follow us!" He got the attention of the lieutenant as he ran.

  'That's too obvious…' To my surprise, the lieutenant stopped fighting and ran after him, '…good enough.'

  Archibald and Pandres were left confused, "What are you waiting for?! Go!" And with my order, they ran.

  As they disappeared into the forest, I looked back at the enormous force coming this way.

  'Man, just my luck.' The wind told me all I needed to know, the mana in the air reacted to his aura.

  My arm was messed up, my mana? Just a little left, bleeding profusely with the side.

  I took off my shirt, pulled out the dagger, and cauterized the wound with fire magic.

  I grabbed a good-sized stick and splinted it to my left forearm.

  'Now I'm good. But what about the environment?' I looked around and the fire had spread out, a lot of trees had caught fire. Other than that, it's completely fine.

  "Should I run? Probably. But will I? No. I need to repay her. If I die in the process then so be it. Bring it on, Mr. Knight-King."

  Then the burning trees separated and a tall figure clad in ridged black armor with two long scabbards at his sides stood, his helmet matched his armor and covered his entire face.

  He looked around, "Looking for Angel? Or your lieutenant? Too bad. They aren't around here."

  "So turn around and go back to the capital." I shooed him away but he stood silently.

  "Not a fan of jokes eh?" He started to walk towards me.

  My body involuntarily tensed up as he came closer, "You're the man who has never lost a fight? Well, get ready to taste defeat!"

  "I've seen man men like you. They talk a lot when they are faced with certain death." I got him to speak! I won.

  'No, Stop it. Keep cool. He's right, people tend to talk a lot when faced with an unwinnable battle.'

  "Are you Sebastian?" He had a very deep and menacing voice, his helmet probably helped a lot with the menacing part.

  I took off my eyepatch and my eye took a bit of time to adjust to the brightness, "You tell me, asshole." He stayed silent.

  He was finally within range, "Where are the others?" I recalled that spell.

  "Dead men's questions don't need to be answered." I have no chance of surviving if I believe I'll lose.

  I summoned the barrier, "What is this?" He touched the barrier and couldn't get his hand through.

  "Only one of us gets to leave." I made sure I had a good grip on my sword.

  "Knight-King!" I shouted to get my adrenaline pumping, he stood still and simply watched.

  "I, Sebastian, challenge you to a duel!" He slowly unsheathed his two long swords which were curved in a style similar to the main swords used by Tengoku.

  The swords were as tall as me, "I accept." He brandished them.

  'Much taller than me, most probably currently stronger physically, reach advantage, fully armored, not tired.'

  "Take it easy on me?" I couldn't help but joke in this shit situation that I'm in.

  "You will die here." Haha.

  "Alright then." I held my sword in my right hand. My left arm was basically out of order, 'Any slip up here could get me killed in an instant.'

  'So take it easy, don't lose your cool.' I controlled my breathing and got into stance.

  I waited for a signal, any movement from him. But he stood completely still.

  As a large branch fell to the ground, we both moved and he got to me first.

  He kicked me into the ground and slashed at me with his long sword, I managed to barely block it with my sword-guard.

  I got up but immediately got sent into the barrier which felt like a brick wall, 'shit!' I was cornered and watched as he quickly came at me, "You're faster than you look!"

  If I went right, he would cut me. If I went left, he would cut me. So I went right in and splashed water onto his helmet and got kicked up into the air.

  I was mid-air and he pulled both his swords back, 'Ah crap.' I quickly gathered the little mana I had into my right eye.

  Everything slowed down, 'I need to see, depending on what sword he swings, I have to make the perfect move.'

  'But if he swings both, then I'm done for… so, I have to gamble.'

  'His right foot was forward, so it should be the left one.' My mana was getting drained quickly so I had to make my choice now.

  Time started to go back to normal and he moved just as I predicted, he swung his left sword while the other stayed back, so I blocked his blade with my sword and used the force of his swing to send me back down to the ground.

  I tried to get on my feet but his onslaught just continued, he slashed at my foot which nicked me.

  I used earth magic to push me away from the incoming swing from his other sword and barely escaped with much shorter hair.

  I was on my back and felt a boulder be dropped on my chest, it was actually his damn foot, and his two blades trapped my neck into the ground like a pair of scissors that slowly pushed together and drew blood.

  "So, tell me, where are they?" He asked all so calmly.

  'So this was the mighty Knight-King? I didn't even last a minute against him.'

  'Well, Pandres. The rest is up to you, just defeat that lieutenant and you'll be able to escape.'

  'It was fun. It really was, I felt alive. If you do make it big, then don't forget I was a necessary part of your big journey.'

  I closed my eyes, 'I'm sorry… hold on, I haven't apologized yet…'

  "Tell me-"

  "Sorry, I can't give up just yet," I undid the barrier and got some mana back, "I still have things I need to do." I shot a stone bullet into his helmet and put the dagger's blade and my sword between the blades and my neck.

  I kicked his crotch and managed to push him away. I gathered all my strength left, I didn't feel any pain.

  'Sorry, body. But you're going to have to work until you can't.' He immediately regained his footing and charged at me.

  'Left!' His left hand was ahead of his right, so I managed to anticipate his swing and used my sword to use his momentum against him and threw him off to the right.

  As he fell, he swung with his right sword and got my throat, "It's going to have to be deeper if you want to kill me!" I sent wind into the small holes in his helmet.

  I used a basic spell and turned the ground under him into a sticky substance, 'Quagmire'. As he slowly got up, I got into stance.

  'Steady breathing, Sebastian.' My legs were shaking, I couldn't feel my fingers, and my vision was blurry.

  But it was fine, I didn't need those things to do this, I closed my eyes.

  The wind told me his location, and I lifted my sword up high, 'shouldn't this have a name? Hmm, how about [Aurora Splitter]? Yes, that sounds nice.'

  I gathered the wind behind my blade, 'If I just swung normally, he'd just dodge it.'

  I inhaled.

  And exhaled.

  'A blade brought down at the speed of light is impossible but a blade brought down at the right time like the first beam of light of the day, is possible.'

  I felt a hard surface and my blade was stopped, I opened my eyes and found that I had succeeded.

  At least in hurting him, "You did good. But this is the end." His head, which was what I was aiming for, was fine. He managed to block it with his arm.

  My blade had gotten through his thick armor and his forearm looked broken from the blunt force of the strike.

  I held my sword in my hand but couldn't lift it up anymore, then my legs buckled and I fell on my back, "Tell me where they are before you die.'

  A weak laugh escaped my lips, "No." He stood up completely and covered the sun.

  "Then die." I closed my eyes and waited for my head to fly.

  "I've made my decision." I opened my eyes to see the sun once again… no, it was a red blur, "and I won't go back on it."

  I rubbed my eyes and looked again and saw a redhead block the two swords with her blade.

  "You?" The Knight-King spoke in an inquisitive tone.

  'How'd she get through the barrier? This was the last thing I wanted.' I glanced at the barrier and remembered what I had done.

  'I'm such an idiot...'

  The Knight-King was unexpectedly pushed back and Pandres grabbed me and ran.

  She stood right before the river, "what to do, what to do." She muttered as the Knight-King approached.

  "Where is Angelina?" He pointed one of the blades at us.

  "Look for the Don of the Night and you'll find her." Oh, so master helped them. I knew I could rely on her.

  My vision was getting blurrier and blurrier, "No clue who that is."

  "Pandres… leave me here and run." I managed to stand on my two feet and held my sword with both hands.

  "No can do, you're necessary for my goal." She pulled me back and grabbed my left hand.

  "Don't bother running." The Knight-King warned.

  "Sorry, but It's too early for us to fight." She did the one thing I didn't expect and jumped into the freezing river, pulling me with her.

  My vision got darker as I held my breath and held her hand and my sword with all the strength that I had.

  'I better not die of drowning. Not when I managed to survive fighting that beast...'